This One Is For You
by kwnsjn
Summary: Why Niou likes pranks so much. Niou x OC


**Author's Note: **A one-shot on how Niou is just obsessed with pranks! My first of many~ It's quite funny because I'm really a one-shot author but in , my first story is a chaptered one. Anyway, please read and review, and I hope you like it!

P.S. I think Jimmy Eat World's "May Angels Lead You In" fits the story quite nicely.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters! Minamoto Yuri is mine, though~

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Niou Masaharu was leaning on a tree planted far enough from the courts to hear Yukimura's orders and Sanada's slaps but not to be crowded by the Three Demons' fangirls. The time was 2:50, and in 25 minutes, the vice-captain and the captain would start practice. The trickster wanted some time alone to himself. Today was, after all, a special day.

He sighed heavily, before looking up at the skies.

_It's been 7 years, huh…_

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The 8-year-old Masaharu was lost in the hospital in that fateful Saturday afternoon. The Niou family was visiting the eldest daughter, who had caught bronchitis, and the curious boy had walked away from his mother's hand, which led to his being lost.

_Was it Building A, or Building C? Room 321 or Room 312… Geez, onee-chan!_

"Hey, boy. Are you lost? You look… well, lost." A soft voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned around and saw a young girl, who looked around his age, standing behind him. She had brown hair, which was held back neatly by a pink bow and she had big brown eyes. But the thing that Niou remembered the most was that she was wearing a pink hospital gown.

"Actually, I kind of am… I don't know where my family are.." Niou scratched the back of his head sheepishly. The girl chuckled.

"Come with me."

Niou followed the girl, walking quietly behind her figure. The girl had led him to a nurses' station.

"Excuse me, but this boy is lost." She said.

The nurse grinned and asked Niou, "You must be the boy that family has been looking for! Is your last name Niou?"

The boy nodded ecstatically, as the nurse paged the family through the speakers.

"Well, I guess you're safe now, huh?" the girl asked.

"I guess I am.. Thank you!" Niou smiled.

"No problem." The girl leaned over and hugged him. She walked away as Niou's cheeks began blushing. _Why did she hug me?_

_"_Hey, what's your name?" Niou called.

The girl turned and answered, before quickly heading back. "Yuri. Minamoto Yuri."

Soon after, his family came. His mother fussed over him while his father reprimanded him gently. He was ignoring his mother's whims when he felt his knees buckle.

"Hey!" he shouted at his younger brother, who had kicked him right behind his knees.

His brother laughed. "Well, you told me to kick you."

Niou looked at his sibling, puzzled. His brother pointed to his back, where a piece of paper had been taped, with the words "Kick me, I'm an idiot!" written across.

_Huh, since when did…_

Realization struck him like a lightning.

_MINAMOTO YURI!_

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The next day, Niou had volunteered to visit the hospital. His mother took it as being caring and loving toward his sister but deep down, Niou wanted to see that Yuri again. _I'll get my revenge, _the boy thought as he held a folded piece of paper in his hand, with the words "I'm so ugly, so kick me!" written across.

Purposefully, Niou wandered the same hospital halls again, where he had met the girl. As he turned a corner, he saw he, looking as she did the day before. Taking a deep breath, he walked over.

"Hey, Yuri-chan!"

The girl turned to him and smiled. "Hello, boy."

"I didn't thank you enough for yesterday, and my mom said I should give you a hug to show my thanks, so.." he leaned over and hugged her, taping the piece of paper to her back.

"Well, then, bye!" Niou turned and walked away. He had not walked ten steps when her voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Did you think you could prank me with the same trick, boy?" the girl called out, teasing.

Niou looked back and saw her holding the piece of paper. "And did you think I wouldn't notice the way you taped it onto my back? You suck at pranks, boy." She laughed.

Niou reddened and marched over, grabbing the piece of paper. "I don't suck! And my name is Masaharu!"

The girl stared at him. "That's too long. I'll call you Masa."

"Well then, Masa-kun, I'll be off now."

_Damn, she's smart._

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The next day after that, Niou vowed his revenge. He didn't want to be outsmarted by someone, especially a _girl. _He asked his younger brother for good pranks, and this time, he was sure he would get her big-time. He prepared his disappearing ink, as he went with his mother to bring his sister some fruits.

Just like the day before, Niou wandered off again, although the hospital scenery was becoming familiar. And again, Yuri was walking the halls. He called out to her.

"Yuri!"

She turned, and grinned. "Well, if it isn't Masa, the boy who sucks at pranks."

He ran over to her, the bottle of disappearing ink in his hand. He squeezed the bottle, in time to color the girl's hospital gown blue. Yuri gasped and look down at her attire, as Niou smiled smugly, but quickly hiding his joy.

"Oh, I'm sorry! My hand just slipped and—"

Yuri swiftly grabbed the bottle from his hand and squeezed the contents over Niou's then-brown hair.

"This ink disappears from clothes but it doesn't from your hair." She tossed him the bottle and laughed, walking away from Niou's angry face.

_She got me again!_

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Niou was angry at himself. How could a girl outwit him three times in a row?! He was scolding his brother later. For now, he had to focus on the task at hand. The time for hospital-visiting was near. Niou quickly ran over his routine in his mind.

_First, greet her. Casually, as if you just wandered off again. She might get suspicious if I seem too eager._

_Second, hug her as you say goodbye. Say mother is waiting for you. _

_Third, as you wrap your arms around her, quickly and gently put the chewed-up gum in her hair._

_Fourth, bite down on your lip to prevent laughing out loud as you walk away._

Niou had arrived at the hospital and walked down the same halls again. By this time, his mother knew of Yuri (after Niou had childishly complained about losing to a girl in the car ride home yesterday) and let him go, but not after checking out the girl's room number.

He turned the corner but to his surprise, she wasn't there.

He waited for a few minutes, thinking she was probably late for her usual routine, but after ten minutes, Niou walked over to the nurses' station.

"Hi! Can I know what room Minamoto Yuri is in?" he asked the same nurse who had helped him the first time he met Yuri.

"I'm sorry, boy, but I can't tell you. It's a secret."

"Please! I have a gift for her~" Niou pleaded. The nurse contemplated for a while, before deciding that a small boy couldn't do harm, and besides, she had seen the two together.

"Oh, alright. But keep it a secret, okay? She's in room 404. Just down that hall."

Niou followed the nurse's instructions. Soon after, he had come to the right door. Slowly opening it, he found Yuri sitting up on her hospital bed. She was alone in the big room.

"Oh, hey. How'd ya find me?" Yuri asked, breathlessly. She had these clear tubes around her face and two were in her nostrils. _That's got to be uncomfortable, _Niou thought.

"I asked around. You weren't down at the halls, like usual." He asked, as he sat down on the chair beside her bed.

Yuri grinned. "Why, was Masa looking for me?" she teased.

Niou reddened. "I was just wondering.. where you went!"

The girl laughed out loud for a minute before coughing wildly. Niou stared at her, worry growing in his heart.

"Why are you all tied up like this?" he asked.

"That's because I'm sick, Masa." She replied, her eyes closed as she laid her head on her pillow.

"What kind of sick?"

"I can't breathe properly. The doctor said I had weak lungs."

Niou was silent for a while.

"Why do you like pranks so much? You seem to know a lot about them." The boy asked.

Yuri smiled. "Pranks make our days so much funnier, don't you think?"

"TV makes our days funnier too. And games with my friends."

"Ah, the TV bores me. And I don't have any friends." Yuri replied nonchalantly.

"Huh?! You don't have any friends?!" Niou asked, his tone higher. How could one not have any friends?

Yuri grinned. "Well, I don't go to school and none of the patients here are my age, you know. That's why I like pranks, even though some of the nurses here don't like it when I trick them. Pranks make my day so much more fun than just laying here in bed."

Niou stared at the girl in shock, his mouth wide open.

"Then, I'll be your friend!" he declared.

It was now Yuri's turn to stare at Niou in shock, her mouth wide open.

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Weeks had passed, and Niou stayed true to his word. He could not let a kid just walk around and not have friends, right? The two grew so close; Niou's mother and Yuri's mother had even gotten to know each other very well.

Niou would go to Yuri's room at around 1PM, where he often spent his afternoons. He'd sometimes bring game boards or books and the two would just talk and talk for hours. Yuri, on how to prank other people best, and Niou, about life outside the hospital room. Often, they would think up pranks together and trick Yuri's main nurse or sometimes, other patients. By the end of the trick, everyone was laughing, yes, even the victims. Niou could now finally see what Yuri meant; pranks did make their days so much more fun.

However lately, now that they've been spending so much time together, his heart beat faster than usual, whenever she smiled at him or leaned over to whisper something in his ear and he'd feel her breath on his cheek or just casually hold his hand. It was strange, Niou wondered.

And when Niou's mother decided it was time to go home, Yuri would casually lean over him and give the boy a gentle peck on the cheek. This concluded their usual routine.

Niou often wished Yuri wouldn't hear his racing heartbeats whenever her lips touched the boy's face. That would be embarrassing, right? And despite reddening like a tomato, he liked how the kiss best and he, Niou would never admit this to anyone, often looked toward the moment his mother would come get him, so he'd feel her kiss again.

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On a fine Wednesday morning, Niou opened the door to Yuri's room, like on most days. However, this day turned out to be not like any other. Yuri was paler than usual, and she was lying still. Niou could hear her deep breathing.

"Yuri…?" he called out softly. The girl slowly opened her eyes, and smiled, once she saw the boy.

"Hey, Masa.."

"Wow, you look bad." He commented. Yuri chuckled, before coughing out loud.

"I know.."

Niou sat down beside her, like he always did. He stared at Yuri's figure. His thoughts were interrupted when she spoke.

"Hey, Masa?"

"Yeah?"

"The doctors told me I have surgery coming up tomorrow. They say I can finally get rid of this breathing problem." Yuri said, her eyes still closed. Niou lit up.

"That's great! Now, I can take you outside and we'll play in the—"

"They said I might not make it though." Niou stopped, excitement suddenly evaporating as dread filled his heart.

"What?"

Yuri inhaled. "They said the surgery is really difficult and my body might not take it.."

Niou chuckled nervously. "No need to worry, then! You can easily take that surgery!"

The girl smiled. "What if I can't?"

Niou's smile dropped. "You can and you will!" he exclaimed.

"But what if I cannot take—"

"YOU CAN, YURI!" he shouted.

Yuri sat up and looked at Niou in the eye, before smiling. "Masa, promise me something in case I do not make the surgery."

The boy looked away, crossing his arms. "No, I am not promising you anything! You are going to make that surgery, whether you say you can or you can't."

Yuri reached out and held the boy's hands in her own fragile fingers. "But Masa, if I don't…"

"Promise me you'll continue my legendary pranks."

Niou looked at her strangely. "What weird promise is that? That's so lame."

Yuri laughed. "I told you, pranks make our lives so much more fun. And if the legendary prankster Yuri isn't around to give the world laughs, you'll take my place instead, okay?"

"No."

"Masaharu…"

"NO!"

"Just promise me, okay?"

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The next day, Niou was walking towards Yuri's room, annoyed. _How could she say all that? Doesn't she want to live? _

Niou opened the door, only to find an empty room.

He ran to the bed, where Yuri's usual sleeping figure was missing. Instead, he found a note.

"Promise me, Masa! I'll be waiting for you in heaven! You can tell me all about your pranks then~ Love, Yuri"

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Niou fought back his tears. _A man does not cry, Masaharu._

He resisted the urge to think up those questions again, like he usually did when this day comes every year. The "what if she was still alive" questions raced back to his mind. _I'm living up to my promise, Yuri. I am nicknamed the Trickster, after all…_

He imagined what she would look like now; he could practically hear her laugh, the way she always teased him about sucking in pranks. He wondered just what life would he have if she was still here; would she come to his matches, would she teach him in mathematics, would they eat lunch together..

He could just imagine her cheering him on as he astounded the audience with his tricks on court. He could imagine her thinking up new ways to defeat opponents with pranks. He could imagine walking her home, as she talked on and on about failing Math and him treating her to ice cream down that shop near Rikkai. He could go on and on with his imaginations, but he knew that they would never be true.

Niou looked up at the skies; the weather was perfect. The sun was shining down beautifully, with the clouds covering up its rays every so often. He felt the warm spring breeze blow his hair away.

_The skies are mocking us, Yuri. They're so beautiful, even when I lost you on this very day, seven years ago._

He let one tear slide down his cheek, feeling every pain in his heart stab through his chest. _I don't know why I can't forget you, Yuri. Even when you said, you'll be waiting for me up there._

Niou held a piece of paper in his hand, breathing deeply. He looked up at the skies again, this time, a gentle smile on his face.

_This one's for you, Yuri. Be happy up there, pranking all the other angels, neh?_

He ran up behind Marui's back, putting his right arm over the redhead's right shoulder, but not before swiftly and gently taping the piece of paper on Marui's unknowing back, with the words "Kick me, I'm ugly!" written across.

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**Author's Note: **So whaddya guys think? I had this idea last night when I was trying to sleep. Although I feel like it was so rushed… One-shots are like that, after all. Anyway, review please~


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